Means for preventing the sinking of ships



A. DREKOLIAS.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE SINKINGOF SHIPS. APPLICATION FILED DEc.2e, 1919.

1,355,656. Patented `061. 12,1920.

1 wzl I Il 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. il llll 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented 0@t.12,1920.

A. DHEKOLIAS.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE SINKING 0F SHIPS. APPLICATION FILED DEC-26, i919.

IIITIIl 7a .im Ero/'oZcS l INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. DREKOLIAS.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE SINKING 0F SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, I9I9.

Patented Oct 12,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ADAM DREKOLIAS, GF STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK,

MEANS FOB PREVENTING THE SINKING OF SHIPS.

Speccatoii of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application filed December 26, 1919. Serial No. 347,280.

To all who-m it may concern Be it known that I, Ani-mi DRnKoLiAs, a subject of the King of Greece, residing at taten sland, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for l Preventing the Sinking of Ships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to a ship, and has for an object to provide a method and means for maintaining the same afloat at all times and to thus preserve the ship against sinking dueto accident.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and means for preventing the sinking of ships which consists in placing a plurality of elements throughout the hold of a ship, said elements being manipulatable in such a manner as to offer buoyancy to the ship, to prevent listing thereof or to otherwise change the center of gravity.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing the sinking of ships which consists in providing a plurality of eXpansible and collapsible floats of a specific construction which are located in any convenient location and any or all of which may be expanded or contracted to vary the volume thereof between minimum and maximum limits and to keep the ship afloat in the event that its hull should become partly or completely flooded.

A still further object of the invention is to provide expansible and collapsible floats for the purpose above set forth which are formed in various geometrical configurations for the purpose of accommodating themselves in various compartments of a ships hold or for the purpose of grouping them to secure variations of volume by their manipulation in a. manner to be subsequently described.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a group of collapsible and eX- pansible floats of my construction to be located within tanks ordinarily employed for the purpose of storing water, fuel or the like whereby the float may be Vpartly or wholly expanded, thereby occupying the space for# merly occupied by the liquid to thus increase the buoyancy ofthe ship.

In addition to the foregoing this invention comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Q In the accompanying drawings in which similar and corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the several views in which they appear.

Figure 1. is a view in side elevation of a ship` embodying my improvement.

Fig. 2. is a view in top plan of one of my collapsible and expansible floats.

Fig. 3. is a view thereof in side elevation.

Fig. 4. is a fragmentary view in section showing the joints between the parts of a float.

5. is a plan view of a group of floats.

Fig. 6. is a plan view of a slightly different configuration.

F ig. 7. is a still further modified form of floats showing the same in top plan.

Fig 8 is a top plan view of a still further modified form of float. y

Fig. 9. is a view in vertical section-of a still further modified form of float employing a collapsible wall.

Fig. 10. is a horizontal section of the immediate preceding figure.

Fig. 11. is a view in top plan View 0f a group of circular floats.

Fig. 12. is a 'View in horizontal section taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. 13 illustrating the location of a group of floats in a ballast tank.

Fig. 13. is a view in vertical section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14. is a view partly in perspective of a modification of the invention, and

Fig. l5. is a still further modification of the form shown in the immediate preceding figure. Y

With reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, 10 indicates generally one of my collapsible and oxpansible floats, composed of a plurality of cups or casings, the uppermost of which is indicated at 11 and the lowermost at 12. In the present instance they are pyraiiiidalv in configuration and are of different sizes so that one may fit within another, and each of which is provided with a top. wall 13 so that they become inverted'cups, the lowermost member 12 however is preferably entirely inclosed. rflic members 11 and 12 and intermediate members are slightly'frusto-conical somewhat after the manner of a collapsible thinking cup so that when the members are extended the large end of each member will fit in the small end of the next to form a tight joint without the use of gaskets or sol other packing means. The lowermost memspring 16 having the upper ends of the.

spring connected to members secured to a floor, ceiling or any othersurface to which the float is to be attached. rllhe function of the springs is to normally retain the floats in a collapsed condition. To extend the same provide aicable 17 which passes around a pull ey and is connected at one end to the lowermostfloat 12 or preferably to an eye bolt seouredinthe center of the radial arm 15. I have indicated in Fig. 1, an outline of a ship. The lower deck is indicated in dotted lines at 18. Tn the usual manner the hull of the vessel is divided into compartments 19 through the medium of bull'head or partition walls 20. For the purposes of my invention I provide a plurality of door openings 21 located in the hull of a vessel just below the lines of the lower deck 18 and normally'closedlby doors which, when open permit 'communication between the interior and exterior of the vessel. A large number ofexpansible and-collapsible floats, fory instance of the types shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are distributed throughout the interior of the vessel within the compartments 19 and secured to the wall, Ceiling, or other location, or stored beneath a bed, or other furniture so as to be normally unobstructive but which may be readily reached and manipulated when occasion requires.

In the operation of my inventionin the event that the hull of the vessel is damaged at anypoint so as to permit the entrance of water, if only one compartment is flooded, and the usual bulkhead doors hold sufficiently to prevent the entire hull from becoming flooded. vessel is a simple matter by the` use of my invention. rlhus, in the flooded compartment it is but necessary to extend or eX- pand the float 10 to increase its volume to compensate forV the loss in buoyancy which would normally have occurred due to the entrance of water into the compartment. It will thus be seen that listing or dipping of theV vessel as the result of the flooding of any compartment is entirely obviated for the reason that the buoyancy or uplifting effect of the eXpa-nsible float is sufficient to offset the water displaced. ln the event that two or more compartments are flooded because of failure of the bulkheads to hold or because of extraordinary damage tc the Vstructure the entire vessel may be readily kept afloat by expanding a sufficient number of expansible floats 10and suitably selecting the points Where said floats are to be expanded so as to supply buoyancy to the vessel and to balance the same against listing or dipping. It will also be obvious that if, in the-event the ship is flooded through- The preservation of the out its hold below the lower deck 18 all of the floats may be expanded throughout the entire hold, and to insure the quick balancing and righting of the vessel the doors 21 may all be opened so as to permit the entrance of sea water into the hold. rJ'his no doubt will have the effect of causing the vessel to settle somewhat but it will reach a point until the additional volume supplied by the floats 10 equals the amount of water which has entered the hold and no further settling will take place as long as the fioats are intact. lt will also be apparent that in the event an opening occurs in the wall of the vessel at one side and the vessel should list toward that side due to the entrance of water, t 1e expansion of the floats Within the flooded compartment will cause the vessel to rise somewhat upon the damaged side, but to effect a complete balancing or righting of the vessel the doors 21 at the opposite sido may be opened to permit the entrance of water into the' compartment on that side until the vessel is righted. Thus, it will be seen that by suitably manipulating the float andthe doors 1 any vessel may be kept afloat or righted without any difficulty,

I havevillustrated in Fig. 5 an arrangement whereby four of the floats 10 may be grouped together, defining a rectangle when viewedin plan. To effect an expansion of all of the floats 10 in unison ly provide a plurality of radial arms 22 having springs 23 connected at their terminals, for thepurpose of collapsing the float and having the lowermost member 12 of each float connected to one of said arms 22 as shown. An additional volume is thus secured by the use of such a system of grouping which the pyramidal form of the floats 1 readily permits. I have illustrated in Fig. 6 a form of float which is rectangula in plan as indicated at 2%, the lowermost of which is provided with radial arms 25 having springs 26 connected to their terminals for the purpose of collapsing the floats. fn'Fig. 7 a still further modified form of float is provided as indicated at 27, being oblong in configuration and having the lowermost member provided with a longitudinal 'eX- tending central arm 28, tothe terminals of which are integrally connected oppositely extending arms 29 for the purpose of attaching springs to their terminals in the manner previously described` ln Fig. 8, I have illustrated'v a still further modied form which, 'as'indicated at 30 is circular in plan and which is provided with radial arms 31 secured to the lowermost member; To the terminals of said arms springs 32 are connected. Each of the forms of floats just described is constructed in a manner identical with the pyramidal form and hence a further detail description thereof is not thought necessary. 'I have illustrated in Fig. 9 a still further modified form in which 33 indicates the walls of a cabin, stateroom or the like and 34 the floor thereof. I provide a collapsible float illustrated at 85 and comprising a plurality of circular disks which are covered by a casing 35a of canvas, or other flexible material. The disks are normally held in contact near the ceiling by means of a coil spring S7 and may be lowered by means of a cable 36 attached to the lowermost-member. lVhen the disks are compressed thematerial of the casing 35n folds between the disks and in this manner a float occupying small space and which may be rendered ornamental is provided. 1When the float is expanded it will fill the interior of the cabin, etc., as shown in dotted lines. The disks are formed with central openings through which the spring 37 passes. I have illustrated in Fig. 11 a grouping'of floats 30 of the type illustrated in Fig. 8. As will be seen I employ seven floats, arranged in circumferential order and provide a number of radial arms 38 to the juncture of which the end member of the central float 30 is connected. The end members of the remaining floats are then connected to the arms 38, and coil springs are connected to the terminals of the arms 38 to collapse all of the floats in unison or to permit them to be expanded by means of a cable secured to an eye bolt 39'at the juncture of the arm. I

I have illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 a different arrangement of floats and for this purpose I utilize the storage tanks 40 which are used in every vessel to hold water ballast, liquid, fuel or other material. For my purpose the tank must be air tight and I secure to the under side of the top wall thereof a group of floats, preferably of the type shown in Fig. 7. The upper most member of each float in the group is secured to the under side of the top wall of the tank, while the lowermost member of each float is connected to a frame consisting of longitudinal bars 42 and transverse bars 43 connected together. Coil springs 44 are connected to the terminals of the arms and to the top wall 41 to retain the floats in a collapsed condition. To expand them I may employ a cable 45 passing around Apulleys 46 located in the floor of the tank, said cable being subsequently led upward through a pipe 47 within the tank and extending exteriorly beyond the top wall thereof, said cable subsequently passing over a pulley 48. I also employ an air pump, preferably of the rotary type indicated at 49 and having outlet pipes 50 which extend into the tank through the top wall 41. I also employ a rotary pump 51 having an outlet 52 which is established in communication with the interior of the tank through one vertical Wall thereof.

Obviously, where sub tanks 40 are employed in the event that a ship becomes damaged and the hull partly flooded, the presence of any ballast, or fuel in such tanks would only tend to aggravate the condition, and hence it is my object to relieve the tank partly or wholly of their contents and to establish a buoyant element therein which will be durable and withstand outward pressure in the event that the tank 40 should leak or become damaged.v To discharge the contents of the tank 40 the pump 49 is put into operation which will have the effect to discharge the contents thereof to a point corresponding to the lower end of the pipe 47 in the tank. To expel the liquid completely operation of the pump 49 is continued until all the liquid is forced out through the pipe 47 into the sea. The floats may now be expanded by applying strain upon the cable 45 which will extend the members of the group downward. Y

I also provide a plurality of emergency oats indicated at 55 in Fig. 1 and adapted to be expanded either vertically or horizontally and located upon and securely anchored to the upper deck. Thus, if by any reason the floats within the hold should fail the emergency floats-55 will retain the ship upon the surface of the water and thus prevent its complete loss.

If the masts 56 are of the hollowv steel type I propose to install a float in each one so that this space may also be utilized to accord buoyancy to the vessel.

I have illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15 the lower end of a smoke stack 57 which, in the case ofFig. 14 is closed at its lower end by means of a hingedly mounted door 58 which is normally open but adapted to be tightly closed in an lemergency to thus ren der the smoke stack availabley as a float to add to the buoyancy of the vessel. The same idea is carried out in Fig. 15 in which two semi-circular doors 59 are employed, one of which is shown in closed position and the other in open position, a fragment only of the latter being shown, thus providing another form of closure.

An advantage of the use of this system is that it is especially adapted for use in extinguishing fires in the hold of a vessel, thus, should a fire occur in one or more compartments it is but necessary to flood the compartment entirely with water by opening the doors 21 or any other means of communication, and at the same time expanding a number of fioats within said compartment sufliciently to maintain the buoyancy of the vessel. An additional means of extinguishing res may be also provided by filling one or more of the lower members 12 of any of the floats with carbon-dioxid gas under compression, with suitable valves so that the gas may be released when necessary.

` ancinff From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a system whereby the maintenance aiioat of any vessel may be absolutely insured, and whereby the perfect balg, either laterally or longitudinally may be absolutely accomplished without diiiculty.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing Vthe form of the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure what is described by United States Letters Patent 1s:-

l. In combination with a vessel having its interior divided into a plurality of water tight compartments, means for establishing communication `between the interior and eX- terior of each compartment, and a plurality of displacement devices located inieach compartment with means for expanding or collapsing them to maintain the buoyancy and balance of the vessel.

2. In combination with a vessel, a .plurality of displacement devices located therein, each device having one end secured to a stationary portion of the vessel, resilient means for normally retaining the device in tending the device by pulling one cup from within the other.

4. A displacement device including ak plurality of pyramidal cup members of diifer# ent perimeters, so as to receive one within another, means for retaining the system normally collapsed, and means for expanding the system by withdrawing onemember from another.

5. A displacement device including a pluf rality of groups of individual displacement devices, each device including a plurality' of members for interiitting engagement one with another, means for expanding all of the devices of a group simultaneously, and resilient means tending Vto normally retain all of said'devices of the groups collapsed.

6. A displacement device comprising four groups of individual 'displacement devices, each group consisting of triangular cup members 'of different perimeters one withii another, the arrangement oi the individuel devices defining a rectangle, resilient means tending to collapse all of the displacement devices of the groups simultaneously, and means connected in common to one member of each device for expanding all of the devices simultaneously. Y

7. In combination, a tank, a group of individual displacement devices secured tothe top wall thereof interiorly of the tank, each individual device comprising a plurality of inverted cups of different sizes arranged in telescopic relation, and means for connecting the lowermost cups of each group, a cable connected to said; means for with.n drawing the lowermost cup simultaneously to expand the arrangement as a whole, and means for withdrawing the contents of the tank.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEX. S. GEoRGIADns, WM. ZEAMAN. 

